The Birds of Prey Swoop Into Arrow

As if Arrow wasn't flying high enough already, the superhero hit is aiming for new heights with this week's episode, inspired by the popular DC Comics title Birds of Prey (which was also the basis for a short-lived 2002-03 WB series). "It's beloved," says executive producer Marc Guggenheim of the comic book, whose menagerie has showcased the Huntress, Black Canary and Barbara Gordon's tech-savvy Oracle. "We're excited to be doing our version of it."

The CW show hasn't introduced Oracle (yet), so this take has Laurel (Katie Cassidy) stepping in to team up with Black Canary — unaware, of course, that the costumed crime fighter is actually her sister, Sara (Caity Lotz). Together, they'll battle Helena Bertinelli (Jessica De Gouw), who has returned to town as the Huntress to finish off her mobster father (Jeffrey Nordling).

But this flock won't make Oliver (Stephen Amell) the odd man out. In fact, it's the chiseled Mr. Queen's efforts to keep the entire Lance family safe from crazy Slade Wilson (Manu Bennett) that ends up triggering this epic battle of the babes, which promises to rehabilitate one of Starling City's most troubled residents. "This episode is really about how Laurel gets her groove back," executive producer Andrew Kreisberg says, adding that the ordeal could eventually drive a wedge between Ollie and his by-any-means-necessary sidekick. "It becomes an issue of what Sara is willing to do to protect her sister from the Huntress," he says. "Remember, Sara was in the League of Assassins, not the League of Heroes. She has a different moral code than Oliver."

While all this sounds serious, the producers promise that the hour has humor. "It is comic-booky, and we address that," says Guggenheim. "Felicity [Emily Bett Rickards] can't help but comment on how heightened things seem to be getting."